Slytherin Pride
by So Sick of Love Songs
Summary: PreHalf Blood Prince. Arie Richards and the rest of the sixth year class has just returned from summer vacation. A mixture of emotions, rivalries, and a sweet twist in the middle.
1. Let's Be Best Friends

Platform 9 3/4 was packed. Muggle-borns, half bloods, and everyone else crowded around the parents and luggage trolleys. Among the different faces were Potter, Weasly's clan, and Grander. Not far off from them was a small group of upper year hufflepuffs.

Across the way were Malfoy, and his Slytherin crew. Pansy Parkinson lingered not to far off with her posse of Slytherin Girls. Their parents all making a crowd themselves, talking to each other as if casually, but whispered so secretly no one could hear them over the roar of the students.

Ariella Richards stood for a moment, dazed. She'd spent the awful summer with the muggle relatives of her step-father. She hated spending the summers with her mother's family, and the holidays with her father. If she had it her way, she'd spend the whole year with her father in his opulent manor in the wizarding side of the country. Her parents divorced over their beliefs in how Arie should have been raised. Her father, a Hogwarts Slytherin himself, believed the philosophy that Lucius Malfoy, and the other Death Eaters supported. Her mother, although a Ravenclaw (following the family tradition), was a little more of a bad girl. Still, bad at heart. She had found Mr. Richard's ways a little less than attractive 6 years into their marriage and separated.

Her mother found herself more at home with muggle-born wizard, who was very clever with a wand. But because she was the woman, she had gotten custody of Arie and her twin, Amber. Except Amber didn't mind, that stupid Gryffindork!

Arie shook her head, long straight shiny black hair moved from her eyes. The piercing grey diamonds scanned the platform for her father to see her off to the Sixth year in Slytherin house. Her ivory skin contrasted several Gryffindors in passing.

Kristine Jordan, more formally known as Kris, was heading into only her third year at Hogwarts, Slytherin, naturally. She pushed her trolley down the hallway, absently passing plenty of students, looking at some too. 

Her summer hadn't been great, it never was. Her father was almost always in a bad temper and her mother...she wouldn't get started on her mother. Her father was a muggle, a nasty tempered one that is. He never really abused her, only verbally when she had done something majorly wrong, but for the majority he was never really around his daughter. Ever. Now, Kris' mother had been in Hogwarts, meaning she was a witch, but she was in Hufflepuff. She was kind, and she was polite, but she had been sent to Azkaban when she hadn't done anything wrong, although most people believed she did. Kris also had perfect, goodie-two-shoes, Cousin. Mariana Dela-Rosa, she always told Kris what she did wrong, how 'un-pretty' she was, and made fun of her for being in Slytherin, when she was in Ravenclaw. She got everything right, had the perfect boyfriend, was a prefect, and always got her way.

Kris kept walking on silently, pushing her luggage trolley, she took all of her stuff onto the train when they had started letting students bored, and packed her stuff away. Then she went in search of a compartment.

Arie had put her luggage away with the exception of a small bag of money, and her black cat that was curled up in the seat next to her. The sliding glass door to her compartment was open, and she watched the people slide past. The other houses sneered at her as they passed.

Pansy Parkinson hacked a comment to her posse as they slothed their way past Arie. Even though they shared the same house, they were on completely different plateaus. However, they shared one common ground besides Slytherin house. The adoration and admiration of Draco Malfoy.

Arie had just gotten up and walked out of her compartment to give Pansy a piece of her mind when she bumped into something. She took a step back to see the underclass girl standing in front of her. Arie raised a dark brow, "Slytherin house, hn?" She leaned down and looked closer, "Who're you, then?" She stood in the way of her compartment and Kris.

Kris looked at her, a spiteful, almost hateful glare on her face. It softened up when she saw it was someone she hadn't met before, "Erm, I'm Kristine Jordan." she said looking at Arie, she raised a brow slightly, and nodded at Arie, "And you are?" she crossed her arms over her chest, trying to give herself a dangerous profile, but it didn't work too well, well, it only didn't work if people actually knew her. Lots of people knew her as a Cedric Dig gory admirer, though lots of girls had that profile. Plenty of them had liked him

Arie laughed lightly as she watched the girl attempted to look intimidating, "Kristine, hn?" She said leaning on the frame of the door, "I'm Ariella Richards." She moved aside and into the compartment, "Best sit down, the train's going to start moving soon." She sat back down in her seat and waited for Kris, "Close the door behind you, wouldn't want any Gryffindork scum wandering in." She chuckled at her own joke.

At that moment, Draco and his cronies pushed past Kris, "Move it, underclassmen!" He barked moving into a compartment just past them. Arie smirked at the scene, at her point of adoration, "Well, come on, we don't have all year."

Kris went into the compartment closing it's door and sitting on the opposite side of Arie, "Well, he seems rather grumpy." she said, pushing her streak of green hair back, it had been back in second year, in Potions, she accidentally did something wrong, making the potion explode and cause her hair to turn green, they got most of the green out, except for the large streak.

Arie crossed her legs and leaned back, stroking her kitten. The creature mewed at her and looked at Kris with narrowed eyes. Arie smirked at the cat, "Noir doesn't seem to like you." She clucked her tongue and the cat rubbed his paws over his ears.

She laughed and tilted her head at Kris, "Draco?" She shook her head, as the train lurched into motion. She looked out the window hoping to spot her father, no such luck. Arie turned back inside, "No, Draco just likes to be in control." She grinned, "He likes to push people around," She scowled as a blonde haired Gryffindor slowed by their compartment. Then in an undertone utterance, "... He's just too busy pushing people about, to be bothered with anything else."

Kris made some kind of noises in between a laugh between her teeth, and a noise of skepticism. (Like the 'Ch; sound you make between your teeth.) "He still has a rotten attitude," Kris said speaking her mind freely, absent to the fact Arie was trying to clear him from what she had just said. "Professor Snape even has a higher tolerance level than him, and that's saying something."

Arie was daydreaming for the moment and the came back to reality, "You'd best get to know him, before you judge him." She raised her brows about Professor Snape, "My father attended school with him, you know." She said it in a superior tone.

"My mum did too." Kris said looking at Arie, "Only, she wasn't in the same year as him. She was in first when he was in fourth." she looked at Arie, her eyes expanded a bit, like she was looking straight through her.

Suddenly, a small white head poked out of Kris' robes pocket, small little red eyes were looking around and a pink nose sniffing furiously, then the head disappeared into her pocket again.

Arie nodded, "My father was good friends with Snape, and Malfoy." She settled back against the back of the seat, "Shame what they're saying about them now." She nods to herself, "Your mother? What house was she in?" She tilts her head, "My mother was in Ravenclaw, a pureblood still, but I suppose that's why me dad divorced her! Rotten blood." She shook her head, "Lucky I take after me dad's side. Amber however..." She cringed at her sister's name.

Noir eyed the white head, lifting his own to watch it. He licked his lips and got into pouncing position.

"My mum was in Hufflepuff," Kris answered watching Arie intently, "My family's still together, though my father is a muggle." she said quietly, almost like she was talking to herself.

"Hufflepuff!" Exclaimed Arie, "Muggle!" She looked at Kris incredulously, "You! A Slytherin! "She shook her head, "You're a Halfling?" She cringed, "Oh that must be awful." She sunk in her seat.

"It's not that bad." Kris closed her eyes, and then she opened one looking at Arie. "But... if my mum was in Hufflepuff, I don't know how I got into to Slytherin. But I managed It." she said, then closing the eye that she had opened.

The small white head again poke out of Kris' pocket, sniffing around, and its red eyes surveying what it already had.

Arie sniffed, "Especially if your dad was a muggle." She shook her head, "But a Slytherin is a Slytherin." She shrugged her shoulders, "You like it in Slytherin, don't you?" She cocked a brow, crossing her arms.

Noir pounced into Kris's lap, "Rar!" It mewed after making the strange growl.

There were footsteps in the hall, and their door slid open. A Hufflepuff boy in his 3rd year peeked his head in, "S'cuse me." He said. A mat of spiky light brown, blonde locks turned upwards looked between the girls. The boy had a slight familiarity about him, "I was wondering if there was room in here for one more?"

Arie looked at him, and then at Kris.

Kris quickly pushed Noir off her lap, and then looked at her mouse. She was probably ignoring the Hufflepuff boy, once she took her mouse out of her pocket, she looked at him, "Eh, yeah... There's room." she said, noticing the familiarity, her face flushed a light pink. Then she looked intently at her small white mouse.


	2. Slytherin vs HufflePuff

Arie scowled and picked up Noir, "Don't push Noirey around, he's just being a cat." noir hissed at the boy as he closed the door behind him and took a seat next to Kris. Arie narrowed her eyes at him, "Hn."

The boy looked between Arie, her cat, and Kris. He gave a nervous smile, and looked around for something to talk about, "Um... Nice... Mouse?" He offered.

"Er..Thanks?" Kris shifteduneasily, then looked at her little white mouse, it squeeked and it's red eyes looked at Noir, it's little whisker twtiched as he sniffed.

Arie stroked her cat with seething anger, she hated the other houses. Noir yawned and rolled onto his belly.

The boy shrunk back into his chair, "You're, uh, very welcome." He adverted his eyes to his shoes, to avoid Arie's unpleasent glare, "The, tension in this compartment is... thick." He muttered.

Kris looked intently at her mous, not really saying anything more. She pet it with her finger quietly. The mouse squeeked every few seconds, and it's whiskeres twtiched more as it was sniffing the new Inhabitant.

Arie leaned her head back, muttering obcinities, among them were, "Damned Puffles." "Little ..." "That arse wouldn't be ere if... Draco..." Noir moved to the door and scratched.

The guy looked between the girls and then smiled at the mouse, "What's his name?"

"Neige," Kris answered, she choked alittle bit on her own salivia from nervousness, she just stared at Neige, her mouse, as it conitnued to sniff the Hufflepuff.

"That's French. For Snow? RIght?" He said smiling. He coughed a bit, "I have an owl," He said it as an afterthought.

"my cousin does. My dad couldn't afford one for me." Kris said, then she looked at him, then at Arie.

The boy nodded, "It was my brother's, my parents figured he didn't need it anymore... I mean, with him being gone and all..." He choked a little, and became very silent.

Arie raised a brow.

Kris looked at Neige again,petting him with her index finger. She to was silent. "I'm sorry.." she choked abit.

He shook his head, "Don't be." He coughed and cleared his throat, "You are?" He looked between Arie and Kris.

Arie grinned, "Ariella Richards, a proud sixth year _Slytherin_."

"I'm Kristine Jordan, I'm a third year Slytherin," Kris said then looked at him, "You?"

The boy nodded at the two, "I'm Aiden Diggory. Third year Hufflepuff," He shifted uneasily, he knew how much slyterhins despised other houses.

Kris looked at him, "My mum was in Hufflepuff" she said, sitting up straighter. Like she was proud of herself.

Aiden smiled, "Really? How'd you manage Slytherin," He looked at Arie, "No offense to you."

Arie sniffed, "Please."

Kris shurgged her shoulder heavily. "I really don't know." she sighed quietly as their comparment door open.

Draco scowled at the Hufflepuff, then let himself in. He closed the comparment door behind him, then seated himself next to Arie.

"She's just Lucky is all." Arie said smugly.

Aiden leaned over to Kris's ear and murmured, "I really don't like her."

Arie's pale cheeks turned a bit rosy, but she kept her poker face up, "Draco, always a pleasure to see you." She smirked.

Kris didn't know what to do, but ended up nodding.

"Of course it is." Draco said quietly, looking at her, then over at the other two, "What's a Hufflepuff doing in here?" he suddenly just asked, glaring at Aiden.

Aiden leaned back and smiled at Kris. He chuckled to himself, earning another scowl from Arie.

Arie grinned, and nodded. At the mention of Aiden she glared in his direction also, "I don't know, he just wandered in. Scratching post for Noir, I s'pose." Almost on cue her black kitten ran it's claws down aiden's leg.

"YOW!" He yelped jumping up and clutching his leg. He glared at Arie and Draco, and attempted to kick the cat, "Aren't you going to reprimand him?"

Kris looked down at Noir, she didn't really like the cat. One, becuase it had tried to get her mouse earlier, and Two, it had just clawdAiden, she looked at Arie, "Get your stupid cat away from Aiden!"

Draco surpressed a laugh. He smirked at Noir, then he turned his gaze to Arie.

Arie growled, "Make me. " Noir gave a catty smile and hissed at Aiden, who in return glared at the cat. The cat leapt into draco's lap and settled without raising claws. He purred and rested his head on Draco's knee.

Aiden scowled, "I hope it's had all it's shots!" He said darkly, "What'd I ever do to him? Wait, don't answer that." He muttered.

Arie smiled at Noir, and then looked up at Draco. Catching him looking at her, she adverted her eyes back to the angry 3rd yeares. She wrinkled her nose, "No one asked you to sit there, Diggory."

"And Frankly, No one asked you to sic that stupid cat on him." Kris retorted, she glared hard at Arie.

Draco looked down at Oir, scratching behind his ears, he then looked at Kris, then Aiden. "Well, Why don't you two leave? You won't have to worry about what you call a stupid cat."

Arie rose her brows, "Excuse me. Noir is _NOT_ a stupid cat." She glared at Kris, "And I didn't ask him to sic him. He just doesn't like him." She smirked.

Aiden glared, "You leave. I was here before you were," He said in Malfoy's direction. Her crossed his arms.

Kris scowled, then heavily sat back down, slouching in her seat quietly, her arms crossed and a pouty look on her face.

Draco raised an eyebrow, "I'm not leaving. You, on the other hand, should be. There is four of us, your the only one who's not in Slyhterin. So, Leave."


	3. Get out, Aiden

Arie smirked in her victory. She laughed at Kris, "That's rather attractive."

"Excuse me?" Aiden looked taken aback, "And you're the only one that doesn't want me here."

Arie intejected, "No, I second Draco's motion."

Kris looked out the window now, trying to ignore everything. But she found herself listening in.

Draco nodded, "So get your arse up, and leave." he said rather rudely to Aiden.

Aiden's mouth dropped and he looked at Kris, "... Do you want me to leave too?"

Arie rose her brows, "Well Kristine?"

Kris looked at Aiden, then at Draco who was giving her a death glare, she looked back at Aiden, "No." she answered easily, then looked back out the window before she could see anyones reactions.

Draco glared ather slightly, then he looked at Adien, "Two out of three. Majority wins. Now, go."

Arie slammed her fist on the window, ot of frustration. Noir jumped and shuddered momentarily, shooting Arie a death glare.

Aiden shook his head, "Two against two. I stay." He leaned back against the seat. Determined not to move

Kris looked over at Aiden, she smiled almost invisibly at him.

Draco sighed angrily. "I suggest you leave before I have to hurt you, severly."

"Like you could, without your cronies, you're worthless," Aiden glanced at Kris, and gave her a quick wink.

Arie looked at Draco, and sighed, "You know what, it's not even worth it. You can make the rest of his year a living hell," She stretched, "We're almost at the castle." She turned away from Kris and Aiden, to face Draco, "What brung you in here anyways?"

Kris' cheeks turned a pink color, then she glanced out the window again.

"To get away from those two morons, Crabbe and Goyle." Draco said, sighing slightly, leaning his head back.

Aiden grins and watches the familiar surroundings return. He can see the lake in passing and the coaches waiting for them.

Arie smiled, "Is it lonely at the top?" She added a tint of sarcasm to her voice, her smug expression wasn't doused by her bold attempt at a pun.

Kris watched everything pass, then she just waited for the train to stop, her stomach suddenly did a flip, she was really happy to be back.

Draco sighed he lifted his head off the back of the seat and quietly looked at Arie, then outside the comparment.

Aiden leaned forward as the train slowed to a stop. The people inside started moving about. He stood up and looked at them all, finally on Draco and Arie, "I'm leaving. Happy?" He looked dicontented.

Arie bit her lip, hoping she hadn't offended him. She looked up at Aiden, "Get going." She looked back a Draco momentarily.

Kris looked at him, then she got up, too. She put Neige back inher pocket.

Draco looked at the two of them, then at Arie.

Aiden slid the door open and exitted. He pretended to walk away, but waited just out of Arie and Draco's vantage point. He wanted a chance to talk to Kris without being silently criticized.

Arie rose her brows, picking up Noir, "C'mere, you naughty little boy." She smiled and stroked Noir's head, and cooed at him.

Kris watched him, then went out after him. Draco looked ar Arie silently, then Noir.

Aiden grinned at Kris, "Hey!"

Arie stood up, "Well, I best go then." She smiled and tucked Noir under one arm, and with the other she offered Draco a hand, "You'd best get Crabbe and Goyle before they eat too many cauldron cakes."

Kris jumped abit, then looked at him, sje smiled nervously, "Hey." 

Draco didn't take her hand he helped himself up, and nodded. "I'd best get them before they start eating each other." he said, looking at Arie, then leaving to find Crabbe and Goyle.

Aiden thrust his hands in his pockets, "Well, I, um... Wanna walk to the coaches together?" He smiled awekwardly.

Arie nodded and held her cat a diferent way, so she could do somethign with her rejected hand, "Yeah, best get to that." She said softly, trying to hide her disappointment.

She followed after shortly, standing outside her compartment.

"Erm, okay." Kris said her cheeks shading with a pink color.

Draco pushes come kids while going to where he had left Crabbe and Goyle.


	4. Off the Train and to the Feast

Aiden grinned, "Cool!" He coughed, "I mean, awesome." He adverted his eyes to the stares he got from different people around them as he led the way out.

Arie shuddered as a Blonde Griffindork pushed past Draco, brushing shoulders with him, "OH excuse me!" She cried.

Arie narrowed her eyes, "Amber."

Kris walked next to him silently, looked around at people as she walked.

Draco looked at her and glared, "Watch were your going, Griffyndork."he said tartly.

Aiden nabbed them a coach with several friends of his inside. "This way," He called to her.

Arie covered her mouth with one hand.

Amber turned, "Excuse me?" She said with a shrill voice, a familiar voice. Just like Arie's. Without the malice, "You'd best apologize." If he turned he'd find himself face to face with a honeyblonde, blu eyed, Griffyndor Arie.

Kris followed him without saying a word.

"I don't think I will." Draco said simply, not saying more than that.

Aiden's coached headed on with all 6 f them.

Arie bit her lip and headed on.

LATER, at the feast.  
Just after the sorting.

Arie had stationed herself towards the middle of the Slytherin table, where they always sat. Somehow Pansy parkinson managed to sit right across from her.

Draco was sittingin between Goyle and Crabbe, who were stuffing their mouths with any food they could get they're grubby hands on.

Arie glared at Pansy, as several crumbs flew at her from Crabbe. She elbowed the buffoon, "Keep those where you are!" She barked angrilly.

Aiden was positioned toward the end of the Hufflepuff table, chatting away with his friends. He looked over his shoulder a bit, searching Slyterhin's table for Kris.

Crabbe looked at her, he was holding food to his mouth, he looked down at it, shurgged and began eating again.

Kris sighed, she was sitting near the end of the table next to a Red curly headed girl. (Serenity.)

Pansy sneered, "So, Draco, anything intresting happen lately?"

Arie glared at Pansy, and kicked her from under the table.

Aiden grinned and watched her for a moment.

Draco looked at Pansy, "Met a Hufflepuff, the bloke was as dumb as moss on a log, I tell you."

The two seemed to be silent, the the red head seemed to of said something.

With an injured cringe, Pansy rose her brow, "How'd you meet a Hufflepuff?"

Arie leaned in, "There was a third year that wandered into my compartment."

Pansy rose both brows, "_Your Compartment?_"

Aiden bit his lip as someone at his table eblowed and and asked what he was looking at.

Draco looked at Pansy, then Arie. He sighed quietly.

Kris looked at the Red head, then sighed quietly, putting her head on the table.

Aiden turned around laughing with the guy next to him.

Pansy sniffed, "Pishposh."

Arie grinned, score one for her. Her eyes wandered over to the Griffyndor table, and then to a blonde head. Then back to her table, over ot Draco. She shook her head and picked at the rest of the food on her plate.

A Blonde then appeared behind Aiden and whoever the guy was. She looked at them, "Whatcha two laughing at?" she asked raising an eyebrow quietly.

Draco watched her almost intently, until Crabbe flung something off his plate, or from his mouth, and it landed on Draco's shoulder. "CRABBE!" He yelled looking at his goonie.

Crabbe blinked, looking at Draco with a confused look on his face, something was shoved in his mouth. "Whaf, Frafo?"

Aiden turned around, or rather tilted his head back so he saw the girl upside down, "What do you mean?"

The other guy, Jacob, grinned, and shook his head.

Arie looked up, and over to him, startled. She giggled, "Gross." She said softly.

Pansy looked repulsed, "Those two have worse manners than Griffyndorks!"

"You..er..where laughing." The blonde said looking at Aiden, "I asked you what were you laughing at.."

Draco looked like he was going to kill crabbe, then he shook whatever off his shoulder.

Crabbe still looked slightly confused, then he shurgged going back to pigging out on the food.

Aiden blinked, "Oh, I was... Just watching the Slytherins... One of... Them... Got spit on?" He offered.

His friend cracked up.

Arie grinned, "Chill out, Draco, it'll wash off... Hopefully."

The blonde raised her eyebrows, "Um, okay then." she said in an akward tone, "Oh, Er, I'm Carnation." she smiled at Aiden, then Jacob.

"It's not that...it's Crabbe...his germs..." Draco shivered. Crabbe wasn't listening, just eating.

Aiden grinned, "I'm Aiden Diggory, pleasure to meet you!"

Jacob saluted, "Jacob Lorent!"

Arie laughed, "Well, don't sit next to them when you're eating."

Pansy rolled her eyes, "Well, then, where's he _supposed_ to sit, Arie?"

Carnation smiled, then blinked, "Wait, er...Diggory? I didn't think Cedric had a brother.." she said looking at him. "but..your in my house, I don't see why I haven't met you..."

Draco looked at Crabbe, then Goyle. "You know, I don't know who's worse" he said a digusted expression on his face.

Aiden swallowed, "Most people don't. I'm only a third year." He laughed, "Everyone focused so much on my brother, they never noticed me."

Pansy shook her head, "Let's not figure it out."

"Oh," Carnation looked at him a sad expression on her face, "I'm sorry." she said, still looking at him with sad brown eyes. 

Draco nodded in agreement to that.

"Don't be. Don't stick in the past." He smiled, "It's be two whole years."

At that point Professor Dumbledore stood up, "Students of Hogwarts, it has come to the end of our feast. I trust that you all enjoyed it." He smiled, "Off to your beds then, Lights off in two hours. That should give you enough time to get unpacked. First years follow your prefects."

Arie stood up, "Well, Let's be off then."


End file.
